Data from over 3,350 event venues, organisers and regular attendees is set to spell out how much the UK event industry contributes to the economy, reports meetpie.com.

The initial response will act as a base for the first ever UK Economic Impact Study, undertaken by Leeds Metropolitan University and set for an unveiling at the International Confex event on 20 March.

The figure of 3,350 is virtually split half and half between events professionals and attendees in order to provide a well-rounded batch of findings. This is made up of 548 meeting organisers, 457 venues, 695 organisers from France, the Irish Republic, Germany and the UK – and 1,617 attendees from the same five countries.

A total of 33 destination management organisations have also pledged their support to a study which director of research Dr ShiNa Li says compares favourably to similar efforts in the US, Canada and Mexico.

Dr Li expressed her delight about the level of engagement captured by her team, which should enable the study to evaluate the economic contribution of UK events.

“We are certain that the results of the wide range of surveys will reveal the critical role the meetings industry plays in the UK economy,” she told eventindustrynews.co.uk.

The final set of ‘Economic Impact’ figures will be revealed at The Meetings Show between 9-11 July.